Abstract

In this article I explore the most recent literature on social robotics and argue that the field of robotics is evolving in a direction that will soon require a systematic collaboration between engineers and sociologists. After discussing several problems relating to social robotics; I emphasize that two key concepts in this research area are scenario and persona. These are already popular as design tools in Human-Computer Interaction ; and an approach based on them is now being adopted in Human-Robot Interaction. As robots become more and more sophisticated; engineers will need the help of trained sociologists and psychologists in order to create personas and scenarios and to “teach” humanoids how to behave in various circumstances.